It won't be much longer before fans start getting clearer looks at Matt Reeves's The Batman. The film finished shooting this March, just one year after pandemic restrictions threw production into chaos. It is set to release March 4, 2022, which means it will be a while before anyone is sitting in a theater for it, but hopefully, trailers and details will be coming soon.

At this point, little is known about the film aside from the exciting list of people working on- and off-camera. The Batman is directed by Reeves, who has previously worked on Cloverfield and The Planet of the Apes remakes. Collin Farrell plays the Penguin in the movie, alongside Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman and Paul Dano as Riddler. The "good guy" side of the cast includes Jeffery Wright as Commissioner Gordon and, of course, Robert Pattinson as Batman.

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For all the buzz about the leading men and women, one of the most anticipated performances in The Batman is a supporting role. Reeves tapped the one-and-only Andy Serkis to play Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth. Whereas big-name characters like Batman and the Penguin are known quantities, the role of Alfred can be played in countless different ways. Serkis has the most leeway with his character and the biggest opportunity to change the feel of the film.

It's easy to forget now, but Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was defined by its smaller roles. The movies brought in A-list actors to fill out the supporting cast, and clearly Reeves is going in a similar direction. In The Dark Knight trilogy, Michael Caine portrayed Alfred. Caine altered the relationship between Alfred and Bruce Wayne for the better. His version of the character acted as a father figure to the young Bruce. As adults, the two of them are more friends than co-workers, and the warmth of their relationship is part of what makes that trilogy so compelling. Caine's Alfred gets some of the biggest emotional beats in The Dark Knight Rises.

Caine's version of Alfred stands in stark contrast to the version of the character who appeared in the Tim Burton Batman movies. Michael Gough played Alfred as a tireless and faithful servant to Bruce Wayne. He had more concern for Bruce's social life than Caine's version of the character, and he expressed his sarcasm with delightful dryness. Despite their closeness, Gough's Alfred wasn't really seen as a mentor figure for Burton's Bruce Wayne.

Jeremy Irons played the most recent film version of Alfred. Irons didn't get much screen time with the character, but he still managed to make a massive impression on fans. His version of the character was much more involved in the heroics than previous iterations. Irons has called his Alfred "a bit of a hero", and that distinction makes his Alfred unique. It isn't hard to picture Irons's Alfred as an MI-6 agent in his youth.

Now Andy Serkis takes on the role of Batman's butler and oldest friend. There's every reason to imagine he'll bring something new and thrilling to the role. Serkis has an impressive record of accolades behind him. He's best known for his motion-capture work on The Lord of the Rings movies. He redefined Gollum, a beloved character who had existed since 1937. Now Serkis and Gollum are inseparably linked.

Serkis has worked with The Batman director Matt Reeves in the past. In Reeves's Planet of the Apes trilogy, Serkis voiced Caesar, who is arguably the main character of all three movies. Their previous relationship likely has something to do with Reeves picking Serkis for the role of Alfred. The director certainly knows how to get fantastic, franchise-defining performances out of the actor.

If those weren't enough qualifications, Serkis also appeared in the Marvel universe. He played Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron and went on to reprise the role for Black Panther. Currently, he's still part of the comic book movie world, but this time he's behind the camera. Serkis is directing Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which will come to theaters later this year.

There's no way to tell how Reeves and Serkis will decide to portray Alfred in the new movie. Details about The Batman have been few and far between, leaving fans to guess and speculate based on tiny bits of information. One of those bits is an interview Serkis did for his new film SAS: Red Notice. In the interview, Serkis hinted that his version of Alfred might lean on the character's secret agent backstory in the comic books. That would be entirely new for the films, which have largely avoided the question of Alfred's backstory altogether. Unless Reeves or Serkis suddenly starts being more open about the details of The Batman (which seems unlikely) fans will just have to wait and see.

The Batman is scheduled for release May 4, 2022.

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